Pongal is the harvest festival celebrated in Tamilnadu by worshiping Sun & earth to express our gratitude for the entire year’s harvests. On this day we still follow the traditional method of cooking rice in brass, stainless steel or earthen pots. We decorate the Pongal Paanai (pot) with kolam drawn using rice flour & turmeric powder and tie the ginger or turmeric sprouts around its neck. Pongal means boiling over, it signifies prosperity & abundance, and hence it is considered auspicious to have boiled over while cooking pongal. We use Pongal paanai rather than electric cooker or pressure cooker as spilling over happens only when cooking pongal in pot.

Traditionally farmers use recently harvested rice for making Pongal in this harvest festival. Others make Pongal using kaikuthal arisi (hand-pounded rice) or traditional rice varieties like kavuni arisi, thooya malli arisi, karung kuruvai arisi, mappillai samba arisi, poongar arisi, etc. and some like to use millets like kodo millet, foxtail millet, etc.

Generally we make pongal sadam & sarkarai pongal mainly to serve for lunch. I like to prepare venn pongal & sweet pongal on this day as I feel it is convenient to serve venn pongal for breakfast and sweet pongal for lunch. You may also refer all my recipes prepared for Pongal festival here. Now let’s prepare pongal in pot:

Venn Pongal in Pot
I used fresh turmeric roots instead of turmeric powder for their amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Fresh turmeric has a unique aroma but tastes slightly bitter. Since we get fresh turmeric roots only for few days every January I like to use them in as many recipes as possible by replacing turmeric powder. Now the recipe for Venn Pongal using fresh turmeric root:

Time Taken: 30 min.
Yields : 2½ cups
Ingredients:
- Raw rice (pacharisi) – 1 cup
- Green gram lentils (paasi paruppu) – ½ cup
- Water – 2 Litres
- Salt – 1½ tsp
For tempering #1 :
- Any neutral oil (or ghee) – 2 tbsp (30 ml) (I used saffola oil)
- Pepper – 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Fresh ginger – a thumb sized
- Fresh turmeric – 2 pieces (each 1 inch)
For tempering #2 :
- Ghee – 2 tsp
- Cashewnuts – 12-15 Nos.
- Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Cooking Method:
- Heat a pan in low flame and roast lentils until they get heated up.
- Wash rice & roasted lentil and discard the water.
- Again rinse them in 2 Litres of water & keep them immersed in the same water.
- Heat a cooking pot, pour rinsing water in to the pot and bring it to a boil in high flame.
- When the water begins to boil over, reduce the flame to low.
- Pour frothy foamy water out using a ladle.
- Add rice & lentil into the boiling water and cook in medium flame.
- Meanwhile prepare the tempering #1 as shown below and pour into the pot.
- Now cook the rice-lentil mixture (in low flame) covered allowing it get infused with those spices.
- When the mixture turned mushy, add salt and mix well.
- Prepare the tempering #2 and mix with pongal.
- Remove from heat and transfer ven pongal to a hot casserole immediately.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney & sambar.
Sarkarai Pongal in Pot

Time Taken: 30 min.
Yields : 2¼ cups
Ingredients:
- Raw rice (pacharisi) – 1 cup
- Powdered cane jaggery (vellam) – 1 cup
- Water – 1½ Litre
- Milk – 1 cup
- Cardamom – 2 Nos.
- Edible camphor (pachaikarpooram) – a small piece
For tempering:
- Ghee – 1 tbsp
- Cashew nuts – 10 Nos.
- Raisins – 20 Nos.
Cooking Method:
- Wash rice and discard the water.
- Now rinse again using 1½ litres of water and keep the rice immersed in the same water.
- Pour rice-rinsing water & milk (1 cup) into the cooking pot and bring it to a boil in high flame.
- When the milk boiled over, reduce the flame to low.
- Add rice and cook until mushy in medium flame.
- Mash rice well with the back of a ladle.
- Add powdered jaggery and cook in low flame until coagulated.
- Add powdered cardamom seeds & edible camphor and mix well.
- Prepare the tempering as shown in the gif below and add into the pot.
- Mix well and remove from heat.
- Transfer hot sweet pongal to a hot casserole immediately.
- Pour hot ghee over sakkarai pongal before serving, if you don’t count the calories. 🙂

Meals with Pongal
Our typical breakfast platter on Pongal day consists of idli, medhu vadai, venn pongal, sweet pongal, coconut chutney & sambar.

The traditional simple pongal menu for lunch comprises of kadamba sambar, avial, red pumpkin sweet poriyal, appalam, medhu vadai, sweet pongal and buttermilk.

Loved the fresh turmeric Venn Pongal recipe
Thanks, Asha.
Dear Megala, you make this look so beautiful – in addition to delicious! One feels this absolutely must be tried – even if out-of-season 😉
I will go see if I can get some fresh turmeric or ginger sprouts somewhere … 😉 🙂 🙂
Warm greetings, dear friend, and best wishes! 😊🌈☀️
Thanks so much, Elena, for reading this old post and leaving your comment. 🙂
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead! 🙂
Sounds so inspiring!
Glad to hear this, thanks!
Traditional ??
Beautifully presented… Wow… How do you do it. I cook rarely and I am extremely messy… Are you on television too?? With your own show or on YouTube??
Hahaha, I am just a blogger, thanks for all your encouraging words !!
Please come on Sun TV my mom will love you. Or please make YouTube channel. We all would love to see you
Aww! Thanks, dear Shalini !! I’m enjoying myself as a blogger, and I’m here to archive my recipes that are most beneficial to me and my extended family. 🙂
I know Megala, I am hoping one day we can see your preparation on TV or YouTube too
Wow!…your pics are so perfect always made me hungry ?
Ahh ! Thanks a lot !!
Love the presentation! Looks so tasty!
Thank you !
This is indeed a great recipe. Very well presented as well as beautifully drafted.
Thanks so much !
That looks so traditionally good 🙂
Thank you !
Such a pretty way to serve rice Megala! Love the tray pictures with all the diffent dishes together… So colorful!!
Thank you !
Looks delicious Megala!
Thank you !
Happy Vasant Panchami Megala. Look forward to some great recipes with the change of season!
Thanks, and same to you ! Hope I won’t disappoint you, some interesting recipes are lined up here !! 🙂
belated pongal wishes
Thanks !
Hey dear! Your work keeps inspiring me and thus, I brought another award for you as you deserve many more.Do check my post once to know further. ??
Aww ! Thanks so much !! 🙂
That looks delicious, great share
Thank you
Thanks so much for stopping by !
Beautiful presentation! Lovely traditional look!
Thank you !
Lovely attempt and presentation!! Did put great effort..
Thanks a lot for your appreciation !
Lovely share Megala!!!both the pongals are looking soo good!!!
Thanks !
Nice to get the traditional recipe from your blog Megala, looks so comforting and delicious!! Hope you had a great Pongal !
Yes, it was great ! Thanks so much !!
Looks delicious and very easy to make!
Thanks !
Like everyone, I too loved the way the Pongal paanai was tied so beautifully with a turmeric plant! Here at home I cook Pongal in a pressure cooker but we buy turmeric plants and sugarcane for puja!
Happy Pongal!
Thank you ! Hope you had a wonderful Pongal celebration with your family !!
2018 in beginning well in my blog world! Estonian-born but Australian bred I actually ‘found’ you on the KR post in Estonia! Well, Australia being South Indian food crazy. methinks you are going to teach me a great deal!! OK: let us begin at the very beginning – I had never used the word ‘pongal’ , ,. , , you see how much I have to learn 🙂 !
Thanks so much for stopping by ! Obviously you could learn to understand south Indian vegetarian food in this blog here and hopefully you would get a chance to taste some of them served at the restaurants in Australia !! 🙂
Great to learn the difference between the sweet and the savory pongals. I love the vessel in your first picture. What are those greens tied around it?
Nice to hear this ! It is a turmeric plant tied around the pot’s neck, this is our ritual to decorate the pots with turmeric and/or ginger plants along with flowers before making pongal.
Happy Pongal, Megala! What a treat the traditional meal is. I loved both the sweet and savory pongal recipes!
Thanks so much !
Lovely to read about the pongal and it’s culture! I must give this ago next time I make a curry it looks delicious ?
Thanks so much !
Thank you, Megala. Was not aware that sweet pongal is this easy to prepare.
Thanks ! 🙂
I love you blog because of very interesting recipes 🙂 Thank you ( one more time) for inspiration 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind appreciation ! 🙂
Another delicious recipe and What a beautiful pot.
Thanks ! 🙂
Very well presented Megala mam. I follow your videos quite a lot in youtube as well.
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Thanks for stopping by !
By the way I am not hosting a YouTube channel !!
Beautiful presentation ma’am.
Thanks !
Authentic presentation… both Pongal ?
Happy Pongal megala ?
Thank you !
So vibrant in both color and flavor! I’d like one of each, please. 🙂
I’d love to share with you ! 🙂
Wow! Happy Pongal:)
Thank you !
Lovely dish.
Happy Pongal
Thanks, happy Sankranti !
Such a delicious looking meal!??
Thank you!
Great recipes in time for the festivities ! Happy Makar Sankranti!
Thank you! Happy and prosperous Makar Sankranti!!
Both the dishes look so yumm and authentic ?
Thank you!
lovely, loved the way you explain,,,,happy pongal
Thank you !
Got humgry after going through this..yum yum yum 🙂
Thanks ! 🙂
Wow…Nice recipe….I love pongal but have never tried making it at home..But now I am going to make it with your recipe soon..?
Nice to hear this, thanks so much !
Happy Sankranti to u and your family ?
Thanks, same to you !
Beautiful and traditional pics…love the way u have explained ❤
Thank you !
Nicely presented as usual.?Happy Pongal my dear Megala to you and your loved ones’ Pongalo pongal’.
Thanks so much ! 🙂
This is a lovely tradition, and must be yummy!??
Certainly, thank you !
Lovely dishes and beautiful presentation!
Thank you !
Been seeing a lot of Pongal posts which is awesome! Those look really good and love sweet pongal esp during festivals. Wish you and your family a very Happy Pongal 🙂
Thank you so much !
What a beautiful presentation, Megala! You are the real artist in the kitchen <3
Thanks, Vero, for your kind appreciation !
Happy Pongal Megala, may this Pongal bring good luck, happiness and prosperity to you and your family. We celebrate Lohri today and Makar Sankranti tomorrow.
Thank you ! Wishing you & your family a happy prosperous Makar Sankranti !!
Lovely dishes. Your presentation filled up my stomach.
Thanks !
I had never heard of Pongal before but I love its concept. And the presentation is perfection Megala!
Thank you !